Documents reveal inaction in cases involving accusations of sexual assault against local priests

The history of sexual abuse by clergy in the Catholic Church is widely documented. Locally, there are at least 12 pending civil cases against the Diocese of Corpus Christi.

6 Investigates obtained secret documents from the Diocese of Corpus Christi, which showed the steps they took, or didn’t take, when dealing with accusations against a local priest.

“The Diocese of Corpus Christi and other dioceses like it are trying to protect. They do not want people to realize that we knew about this information, and instead of protecting the child, we protected the brother priest,” attorney Robert Pastor said.

Pastor, an attorney in Arizona who represents survivors of sexual abuse by priests, is involved in eight ongoing suits against the Diocese of Corpus Christi involving its priest, Father Clement Hageman.

The suits allege that the…